Dumbo: Director Tim Burton Casts Alan Arkin in Disney’s Live-Action

Oscar-winner Alan Arkin has joined the cast of Disney’s live-action adaptation of Dumbo, directed by Tim Burton.

The film, which is currently in production in London, will hit theaters on March 29, 2019.The film’s cast includes Colin Farrell, Eva Green, Michael Keaton, and Danny DeVito.

Ehren Kruger penned the script. Justin Springer, who worked on “Tron: Legacy,” is producing with Kruger. Derek Frey and Katterli Frauenfelder are also producing. Nigel Gostelow will serve as an executive producer.

The original story followed an ostracized baby circus elephant who strives to achieve his full potential.

This version centers on Holt Farrier (Farrell), a former circus star who finds his life turned upside down when he returns from the war. Circus owner Max Medici (DeVito) enlists Holt to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughingstock in the struggling circus.

But when Holt’s children (Parker and Hobbins) discover that Dumbo can fly, entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Keaton) and aerial artist Colette Marchant (Green) swoop in to make the peculiar creature a star.

Arkin will play J Griffin Remington, a Wall Street tycoon.

The studio’s emphasis on live-action reboots follows the hits “Maleficent,” “Cinderella,” “The Jungle Book,” and most recently, “Beauty and the Beast.”

Disney also has remakes of “The Lion King,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Mulan,” and other animated classics in the works.

An Oscar-winning actor, Arkin was most recently seen in New Line’s “Going in Style.”